Today we have the 64GB version of the Kingston HyperX Max 3.0 for review which is essentially a portable SSD that uses the USB 3.0 interface for maximum performance. This pocket size drive not only stores large volumes of data but it can also move it every quickly making for potentially the ultimate external storage solution...

Solid-state drives have been around for a few years, but they have only begun to gain some real momentum over the past year or so. Perhaps at a much slower pace than predicted; prices have come down significantly from first-generation products, while capacity and performance has improved dramatically as well. There's still a lot to be made before SSDs can go mainstream, though not all the burden can be placed on them, as supporting interfaces also required an upgrade.

Last year marked the beginning of a transition from SATA 3Gb/s to SATA 6Gb/s as well as the move from USB 2.0 to USB 3.0. Both have the potential to help drive demand for SSD technology, but we feel the latter in particular is much more overdue, coming at a time when the aging USB 2.0 standard has become tremendously inefficient and is failing to meet today's demands for portable storage.

Although eSATA has tried to answer the call for a faster external interface, it lacks the support, compatibility and flexibility offered by USB. Not as many motherboards support the interface, and among those with eSATA connectivity, few provide powered ports, meaning that portable 2.5-inch devices require an external power source to function.

For years we've been stuck in the slow lane, transferring data at around 20MB/s with USB 2.0. Despite the fact that way back in 2007 we were teased with the idea of USB 3.0 at the Intel Developer Forum, the technology has only started coming into fruition recently. It's very easy to purchase a motherboard supporting the so-called SuperSpeed standard today, with plenty available at under $100, but with no chipset integrating the technology it seems mainstream adoption will have to wait.

To add USB 3.0 support to their products motherboard manufacturers are using a third party controller from NEC, which became available late in 2009. The draw back here is that the controller is often starved of bandwidth on most boards that lack the available PCI Express lanes to accommodate for it correctly. The other glaring omission is the fact that the controller supports just two ports, and neither will be easily accessible at the front of your case.

Nevertheless, with the right motherboard it's still possible to take advantage of newly released USB 3.0 drives -- a handful of which are based on speedy SSD technology. Of course when talking about any product and using the words SSD and USB 3.0 in the same sentence, it's fair to assume that it is going to be anything but affordable.

That's the case with the new Kingston HyperX Max 3.0, which costs $190 for just 64GB of storage, while the bigger 128GB and 256GB devices cost $300 and $650 each. If mobility and speed is what you are looking for however, the HyperX Max 3.0 might be worth every penny, with its claimed transfer rates of up to 195MB/s for reads and 160MB/s for writing data. We know Kingston has made it their business to be at the forefront of SSD technology, so let's find out if they can live up to their ambitions.